Combination salt-and-pepper shaker



Sept. 7, 1948. T. W. RYTHER COMBINATION SALT AND vPEPPER SHAKER Filed April 9, i947 INVENTOR THOMAS W. RYTHER BY fJ/gf/i l ATTORNEY v Patented Sept. 7, 1948 UNITED STATES EATENT OFFICE COMBINATION SALT-AND-PEPPER SHAKER Thomas W. Ryther, St. Louis, Mo.

Application April 9, 1947, Serial No. 740,438

(Cl. (i-,45)

1 onim. l

This invention relates to combination salt and pepper shakers, and has for its principal object to produce a shaker of this type which has separate compartments for salt and pepper and a single, perforated closure member for both through which the contents of other compartment may be shaken out while the other com- .partment remains closed, this single closure member being entirely removable so that both compartments may be open at the same time to permit them to be filled. In this respect my combination shaker diiers from those generally known, since shakers of this type usually are so constructed that the compartments must be lled through openings in the bottom of the shaker, and, as far as I am aware, none of these previously known combination shakers are equipped with perforated sliding closures which may be entirely removed, but, on the contrary, their closures are so formed as to preclude their removal from the body of the shaker.

A further advantage of my improved shaker is that its parts may be molded of transparent, unbreakable material, for instance, plastic, which may be welded together, thus eliminating the necessity for any metal in any part of the shaker.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a top plan view showing my combination shaker in position to release the contents of one of its compartments.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the shaker as illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the shaker as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

For the purpose of this specication I have shown my shaker in the drawings and will describe it as being formed of transparent material, but it is to be understood that it may be of any other suitable material without departure from the spirit of the invention.

In this embodiment of the invention, the shaker comprises a floor I, and identical front and rear walls 2 which rise at right angles from the floor. About midway of their height the side edges oi the front and rear walls converge toward each other from the perpendicular, as shown at 3 (Fig. 2), but stop short of forming a point, so that said walls have horizontal top edges 4. Near their upper edges the front and rear walls are cut out to provide grooves 5, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3.

The end Walls 6 of the shaker also rise at right angles from the floor I, and when they reach the point 3 on the front and rear walls said end walls converge toward each other from the line 'I until they reach the grooves 5, so that the end walls 6 form a connection between the front and rear walls from the floor I up to the grooves 5. The interior of the shaker is divided into two compartments 8 and 9 by a vertical partition I9 extending from the oor l to the grooves 5.

My shaker is provided with a closure which comprises a flat section of material II, said closure being slidable within the grooves 5. The closure is of such length as to extend horizontally beyond the end walls 6. Near one of its ends the closure Il is provided with vertical perforations I2 through which salt may be shaken, and near the opposite end it is provi-ded with vertical perforations I3 of smaller diameter for the passage of pepper from the shaker. At its center between the perforations I2 and I3 the closure II has a solid portion I4.

A member I5 depends diagonally from the underside of the closure I I at one of its extremities in a direction parallel with the end wall 6 on that side of the shaker, and at the opposite extremity of the closure it is provided with a lateral groove I6 in its underside, which groove extends the entire width of the closure. Depending from the grooved end of the closure II in a direction parallel with the wall 6 on that side of the shaker, I position an element I'I having an upper extension I8 shaped to conform to the contiguration of the groove I6 and extending the entire width of the element I'l, the member I5 and element I'l both being of the same width as the closure II. The extension I8 is of such dimensions as to nt snugly within the groove 5 but still be slidable therein, for a purpose to be later set forth.

In operation the procedure is as follows:

Suppose the compartment B is the pepper compartment and the compartment 9 is the salt compartment, and, as illustrated in the drawings, the shaker is in position to release some of its pepper. To prepare the shaker for this service, the closure Il has been slid in the grooves 5 to one side so that the periorations I3 are located directly over the pepper compartment 8 and the solid portion III of the closure overlies the compartment 9, thus closing it to prevent escape of salt from the shaker. The depending member I5 serves as a stop to keep the closure Il from sliding off the top of the shaker.

Now, should it be desired to shake out salt, this procedure is reversed by sliding the closure in the opposite direction, so that the solid portion thereof will overlie the compartment 8 and the perforations I2 will be positioned over the compartment 9 for the escape of salt. In this position the element I'I will serve as a stop member to keep the closure II from sliding entirely off the shaker, and the shoulder I9 on the element I'I (Fig. 2) will prevent rotation of the extension I8 in the groove I6 and consequent displacement of the element I'I.

I will now describe the procedure when the shaker is to be refilled. To do this the element I? is entirely removed from the closure I I by sliding the extension I3 in the groove I6 until said extension and its associated element II are disengaged from the closure. Obviously,` this eliminates the action of the element I7 as a stop member and permits the closure II to lbe entirely removed from the shaker by sliding it through the grooves 5, thus leaving the compartments 8- and 9 open at the top for refilling. When sucient salt and pepper have been placed in the respective compartments, the closure is again slid into place through the grooves 5, the extension I8 is again slid into its original' position in the groove I6, the element I7 again acts as a stop member, and the shaker is again ready for usev as previously described.

It is to be understood that the shaker could be used for any condiments other than salt and pepper, lwithout departing from the spirit of the invention. Also, the body of the shaker could be otherwise shaped', for instance, it might be rectangular, and as long as the member I and element I1 were parallel with the end walls of the shaker the spirit of this invention would be preserved.

I claim:

A combination salt and pepper shaker `comprising a container divided into compartments and having a solid floor, a perforated closure, stop members on the underside of said closure to prevent its disengagement from said container, said stop members depending from said closure in directions parallel with the end walls of said container, said closure member being provided with a lateral groove at one extremity on its underside and one of said stop members havin?,l an extension slidable within said groove to permit of sliding disengagement of said closure and said stop member, and to further permit disengagementl of said closure from said container to open said compartments at their upper portions.

THOMAS W. RYTHER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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